A tipster (send in your tips here) with incredible eagle eyes sent in an observation from a BBB report. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a comment on a BBB report but it support what we’ve been saying over the past couple of years.
Remember when we talked about how debt relief companies would need to develop stronger ties with all providers and that companies that offered debt settlement services would start to offer debt management programs to widen their offerings?
Renaissance Debt Solutions is a for-profit debt relief company located in Hunt Valley, Maryland. They currently have an A rating with the BBB.
The Renaissance Debt Solutions website says they offer programs for debt settlement, debt management, and bankruptcy. – Source
What the reader caught was what the BBB is reporting about Renaissance Debt Solutions:
This company offers unsecured debt management services. Renaissance Debt Solutions debt management program is administered through Credit Guard of America. View Credit Guard of America’s report at http://www.seflorida.bbb.org/BusinessReport.aspx?CompanyID=6481 – Source
I predict we will be seeing more of these relationships openly develop between for-profit debt relief companies and non-profit credit counseling groups moving forward. At least we now know, according to the BBB, that Credit Guard of America is one such non-profit group that is willing to develop such relationships.
What will be interesting is to continue to witness how IRS 501(c)3 non-profit credit counseling handles these relationships and if they have close ties with for-profit debt settlement companies why they then just don’t jump into debt settlement and offer it themselves.
Nice to see Credit Guard of America isn’t afraid of what the creditors might think.
You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.
Do you have a question you'd like to ask me for free? Go ahead and click here.
I can always use your help. If you have a tip or information you want to share, you can get it to me confidentially if you click here.
Credit Guard of America also has some for profit companies that they use(d) to funnel customers to the non profit. Credex America was one of them. I believe they were sued in FL by the receiver in the Hess Kennedy takedown.
Draw your own conclusions.
The concerns about for profit and non-profit debt relief companies working together to assist consumers with ethical and affordable solutions are a bit overblown.
Yes, there are areas of compliance where strict adherence will keep people and companies out of creating avoidable conflicts, but they are few.
If issues and conflicts do come from the relationship it will likely revolve around referral compensation.
There will be much more bridging of gaps between for profit & non-profit companies in the future. My only concern is that these relationships, as they form, not be guided by the drive of sales affiliates and associates who seek huge commissions, rev share etc. This concern is not minor. It is primarily what, in my opinion, blew up the settlement space.
What creditors think is not the problem, its what they do. When it comes to working with ethical debt relief providers in establishing a process of elimination to assist their account holders with efforts to repay all or a portion of their balances, certain bank departments could do better by the shareholders.
A few minor tweaks to how some creditors currently operate, along with a system that provides tracking and auditing would, in my estimation, prove larger credit card issuers could increase recovery on their non performing credit card portfolios by 20% or more.